Formation of metal structures in solar cells
US8945978B2 · kind B2 · utility
20Cited by
7References
20Claims
0Family size
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Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 28, 2013 |
| Grant date | Feb 3, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 28, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E10/547
Abstract
A metal contact of a solar cell is formed by electroplating copper using an electroplating seed that is formed on a dielectric layer. The electroplating seed includes an aluminum layer that connects to a diffusion region of the solar cell through a contact hole in the dielectric layer. A nickel layer is formed on the aluminum layer, with the nickel layer-aluminum layer stack forming the electroplating seed. The copper is electroplated in a copper plating bath that has methanesulfonic acid instead of sulfuric acid as the supporting electrolyte.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.